


Borrowed Courage, Stolen Kisses

by loveglowsinthedark



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Art, First Kiss, Hogwarts Eighth Year, M/M, The Great Lake, dares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-09
Updated: 2017-05-09
Packaged: 2018-10-29 22:04:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10862994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loveglowsinthedark/pseuds/loveglowsinthedark
Summary: Draco gulped. “I dare you to--”Courage had never been one of his assets. But now, with Potter here, nearly pressed up into him –  maybe he could borrow some of the git’s own famed courage.“I dare you to kiss me.”





	Borrowed Courage, Stolen Kisses

**Author's Note:**

> WHAT? WHAAAT?! I'M NOT DEAD?!
> 
> No, really, I'm not. At least, I don't think so? And I dunno if apologising for my continued absence is actually going to make up for it in any way. But I'm still really sorry? I hope to post something longer soon. _Fervently_ hope.
> 
> So, I wrote this little piece based on the GORGEOUS piece of art that my darling [Cielia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CieliaValentine) drew on Tumblr. You can drool over it further below. And sob over the rest of her _perfect_ Drarry art over on [her Tumblr](https://cieliavalentine.tumblr.com/)!

 

“I dare you to...” Draco squinted through the bright gold of dusk, staring around as if the damp earth and cool rocks bordering the Great Lake would leap up with suggestions. “Hmm...”

“By all means, take your time.” Potter’s teasing drawl made Draco turn around with an icy glare; the git was sitting there, lounging back against a boulder, hands stuffed in the front pockets of the crimson hooded jacket he wore. Sunlight glinted off his glasses and the breeze lifted his hair and threw it about. He grinned effortlessly at Draco – fondly.

Heart tripping, Draco looked around wildly before saying, “I dare you to climb that tree.” He pointed to an old, bent rowan behind where Potter sat, its thick branches sagging low enough that even a third-year could probably swing himself up.

Potter glanced at it and looked back around at Draco with a mute, terribly bored ‘really?’ and Draco fought to keep his chin up and keep his glare on.

Sighing and brushing dirt off his jeans, Potter got to his feet and trudged up to the tree. He paused for a second, tilting his head as he inspected the object of his dare, and then before Draco could call out to him asking if he was scared, Potter reached for one of the higher branches with both hands and swung himself up so easily that Draco immediately wondered if he’d been climbing trees his whole life.

When Potter, grinning smugly, had climbed even higher and was finally sat almost hidden amidst in the foliage, Draco scowled and flipped him off. Potter laughed, leaped off the branch and landed lightly, crouching forward onto his hands to even out the fall.

Leaves and twigs crunched under his trainers as he walked back to Draco, coming to stand beside him, shoulders and elbows brushing and causing heart rates to speed up automatically as they stared out over the expanse of water, shimmering pink and gold.

“My turn,” Potter said pleasantly. And then without bothering to pretend like it wasn’t premeditated, “I dare you to jump into the Lake.”

Draco’s sharp intake of breath had Potter burst out laughing and Draco scowled. “It’s fucking cold, Potter,” he bit out.

“Do you concede?” Potter’s eyes twinkled brighter green than the forest around them.

“Concede what?” Draco snapped; but his heart beat painfully in his throat. He wasn’t ready to concede, not yet... Or was he?

But Potter just smiled at him, a crooked little lift of his lips and Draco inhaled deeply, smelling pine and wood smoke and Potter.

“Fine.” Draco kicked off his shoes, rolled up his sleeves; his toes curled into the dead leaves underfoot and he felt excitement surge through him despite himself.

He stepped up to the edge, looked back over his shoulder at the boy who was watching him unblinkingly and smirked.

Then he jumped.

He thought he could hear elated hooting from somewhere, but in there, with the freezing pressure of the water pushing into him from all around, as if trying to crush him, he couldn’t hear anything – except an eerie, somewhat peaceful silence. He could see the quickly fading beams of sunlight filtering in and when he held up his hands before himself, his skin glowed ghostly white.

He’d barely begun admiring how quickly his body had regulated to the change in temperature, when something large landed in front of him with enough force to send him hurtling backwards, slow and weighed down. He accidentally swallowed some of the water as he yelled out in soundless fright, before he was being yanked upwards, still completely dazed and vaguely wondering if he was about to be eaten by the Giant Squid.

His head broke the surface and spluttering and coughing, spitting out noisily while vigorously brushing water and hair out of his eyes, Draco focused enough to see Potter, gasping and panting as he floated before Draco, his hands still clenched around his collar which he’d used to haul him up. His hair clung to his face and he’d lost his glasses; his eyes were so ferociously green that Draco almost stopped breathing again.

Water trickled down his face from the ends of his hair and his lips were parted as he gulped in huge mouthfuls of air.

“Are-are you okay?!” he finally huffed out and that was when Draco realised how close they were; he could feel Potter’s breath rustle across his own wet face as he spoke.

Face inexplicably splitting into a wide grin, Draco nodded. “Fine, Potter. What the hell are you doing in here, though?”

Potter scowled, glaring. “I thought you were drowning, you prat.”

“You can’t even swim!” Draco laughed.

“What the hell were _you_ doing in there?!” Draco shrugged, gaze automatically lowering to Potter’s mouth as it was wont to do these days. “You didn’t come back up and I got...scared.”

Had Draco not watched Potter’s mouth form the words, he wouldn’t have believed his own ears. Potter’s hands weren’t loosening on his shirt and Draco blinked, realising his own hands rested lightly on Potter’s shoulders.

“Potter.”  He didn’t know why he said his name out loud.

“Yeah?” Potter breathed.

Draco gulped. “I dare you to--”

Courage had never been one of his assets. But now, with Potter here, nearly pressed up into him –  maybe he could borrow some of the git’s own famed courage.

“I dare you to kiss me.”

Potter’s eyes, unshielded and soft, widened and then, in the next instant, lit up in unmasked delight. His mouth twitched in a way that hinted a hurriedly tamped down smile.

His hands finally releasing Draco’s soaked shirt, came up to his face, cupping his cheeks with hands that were warm despite being wet.

“Now there’s a real dare,” Potter whispered, and he was so close now that his lips brushed Draco’s own when he spoke.

“Do you concede?” Draco’s breath was shortening again, heart hammering against his ribs, and even though they ought to have been freezing as they bobbed gently around together, Draco felt something heat him up from the insides as if he’d downed a gallon of Butterbeer.

“Oh, yes. Completely.”

And then Potter’s mouth, damp and trembling, fitted itself against his own, and Draco could barely manage to wade through the explosion inside him quickly enough to be able to kiss him back; it was almost too much effort to try and figure out what he felt.

Maybe it was relief. Maybe it was happiness.

And then Draco thought, as he clutched at Potter’s face with both hands and whimpered, that maybe it was something else altogether... something more vast than this Lake and more terrifying than the Giant Squid.

Something as real as Potter’s mouth, sweet and demanding, moving frantically in synch with his own – something he’d never imagined daring to fall into.

With a sigh, the heavens opened up. Rain pattered down, huge, cold drops plopping softly into the Lake around their firmly entwined forms, soaking them further. Neither paid any heed.

What was a little rain in the face of...this?

**Author's Note:**

> I hope to be back with something meatier soon. ❤️ 
> 
> Just in case anyone _really_ misses me, I'm found permanently lurking around on my [Tumblr](https://l0vegl0wsinthedark.tumblr.com/). And I love a little chitty-chat every now and then!
> 
> xoxo


End file.
